PPP chief calls on Yoon to apologize, shake up presidential office over first lady allegations

Conservative People Power Party (PPP) leader Han Dong-hoon, right, speaks at the party's supreme council meeting at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. [NEWS1] The leader of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) on Monday called on President Yoon Suk Yeol to apologize and undertake a personnel shake-up within his administration to address allegations of wrongdoing by first lady Kim Keon Hee. Speaking at a meeting of the PPP’s supreme council, party leader Han Dong-hoon said the president “should publicly and thoroughly address the concerns of the people, issue an apology to the people and take the necessary actions,” which he said should include a “complete” overhaul of aides in the presidential office. Both the president and first lady have come under increased scrutiny after the liberal Democratic Party (DP) released a recording of Yoon’s phone conversation with Myung Tae-kyun, a shadowy political adviser and self-proclaimed “kingmaker,” from 2022. Related Article300,000 stage protest demanding Yoon approve bill for first lady probeDP releases recording of president, 'political broker' in claims of illegal election intervention In the recording, Yoon can be heard telling Myung he had recommended former PPP lawmaker Kim Young-sun to seek the party’s nomination to run in the June 2022 by-election in the Changwon and Uichang constituency. The recording not only appears to contradict the presidential office’s earlier claims that Yoon cut contact with Myung in November 2021, before he was elected president, but also added fuel to rumors that the president and his wife interfered in the PPP’s candidate nominations before several elections. Lawmakers from the liberal Democratic Party (DP) call for a special counsel probe into first lady Kim Keon Hee and an explanation from President Yoon Suk Yeol for the presidential couple's ties to self-proclaimed political broker Myung Tae-kyun during a gathering of DP members at the National Assembly in Yeouido, western Seoul, on Monday. [YONHAP] In his comments, Han said it was “deeply regrettable” that Yoon and Kim had consulted with Myung for political advice, but emphasized that the “great crisis” faced by the government and PPP is the public’s “disappointment.” Even before Yoon took office in May 2022, Kim faced suspicions that she had been involved in a stock price manipulation scheme and falsified credentials on her resume. The first lady has since been criticized for accepting a luxury bag from a Korean American pastor and has also been accused of maintaining an informal clique of current and former Yoon administration officials, which allegedly enabled her to influence the running of state affairs. In addition to calling on Kim to refrain from engaging in public activities, Han also called on Yoon to appoint a special investigator to examine allegations of corruption among his family members, including his in-laws. “It is only natural to appoint a special inspector to prevent this from happening again,” Han said. The office of the special inspector was established in 2014 under then-President Park Geun-hye to probe allegations of wrongdoing committed by the president’s spouse, close relatives and senior presidential officials. However, the post has been vacant since 2016. Yoon declined to fill the position when he took office, which a presidential official at the time attributed to his preference to have all investigations handled by the state prosecution and police. BY MICHAEL LEE [[email protected]]